An elegant master-planned community in Casa Grande, Villago is a chance to “live away from the crowds and congestion of urban sprawl” while just minutes from the I-10 freeway and a short drive from historic downtown Casa Grande. With easy access to the freeway, it’s also a quick 10 minutes from the newly-completed Promenade at Casa Grande, which hosts a Harkins Movie Theater, Best Buy, Target and restaurants including The Olive Garden. The community, built by some of the most trusted homebuilders in Arizona, is a partnership between Fulton Homes, Greystone Homes, Morrison Homes and US Home. It offers many amenities including lakes, lush parks, basketball/tennis courts and walking trails which meander throughout the neighborhood.

As a friendly, family-oriented community, Villago includes Villago Middle School, with two elementary schools planned for the future, and is just down the street from Casa Grande Union High School. For everything from frappuccinos to finance, Villago Marketplace is there for all of your daily food, fuel and financial needs. The marketplace, anchored by Fry’s and Chase Bank, adjoins Villago and includes McDonald’s, Subway, Fry’s gas station and UPS.The Villago neighborhoods are also protected by the Casa Grande Police Department and the Pinal County Sheriff’s Department, both with offices less than five miles from Villago.

Click here to visit the community’s website for neighborhood news, an interactive community map and to learn more about how Villago offers a “refreshing change of place”.

Prices on brand new Villago homes are very affordable right now. Click here to see a current list of homes for sale in Villago, including homes with pools, available starting in the $70,000s. You can also go to ROX Real Estate, to create a custom search for exactly what you want. The city’s unique blend of national chains and mom and pop stores gives it small town charm with big city amenities. It is a true blend of the big city and rural living. If you see a home that you would like additional information on, please call a ROX Real Estate agent at 520.509.1005. We can provide you with additional info, as well as set up an appointment to view the home of your dreams. You can also search our Custom MLS Search, which allows you to search the MLS just like a Realtor. Please call us if we can assist you and happy house hunting!

Why RENT When You Can BUY For Less Than Your Rent Payment?

Don’t miss out on this FREE homebuyer’s special seminar!

Tuesday, February 15 · 5:30pm – 7:00pm

Casa Grande Legacy Suites Extended Stay 540 N Cacheris Court (Florence Blvd east of Henness)

* Lender will be on site to provide free credit reports and answer questions.

* Realtors will be available to search the MLS for your new home.

Seating is limited! Please RSVP by 2-14-11 to Tami Deeks at 520-509-1000 or email tami@roxrealestateaz.com.

This is a FREE service provided by ROX Real Estate, Academy Mortgage and Security Title. If you are currently working with another real estate agent, please disregard.

Are you thinking of buying a home but need information? The workshop will provide information on market conditions – loan tips – short sales – foreclosures – free credit report, credit repair tips and more! Mark your calendars to attend.

Visit the EVENT on Facebook to let us know that you’re attending!

It's not like I don't have anything to do these days…nothing transactional, of course, but it is tax time, we are still very active in SFR foreclosure buy/fix/flips (I hate that term, but…), and I'm spending lotsa time extending our business group's web marketing umbrella, growing existing businesses based on web-generated leads, and also starting new businesses that complement the existing ones.  Whew...

My point is that I have spent the last hour or so discussing commercial comps and deals with two appraisers and one broker, bam-bam-bam, just like that, one after the other, in lockstep (kinda almost forgot how to do that!)...and all four calls (yup - just got another one) were about property in the same area of beautiful Casa Grande. Yeah, the appraiser conversations were not necessarily about new deals, but the broker convo sure was.  Coincidence?  I dunno...but just as soon as I get really used to non-transactional pursuits the deals will start happening again. 

Mark my words.

That reminds me:  we actually closed a sale of a small commercial piece of land the other day...to a user who wants to locate his business there and has the cash to do it! 

Will wonders never cease?

Senate Committee passes bill to place restrictions on HOA document fees

The Senate Government Reform Committee passed SB 1149, (HOAs; condo; document fees sponsored by Senator Andy Biggs) on January 26, with a vote of 7-0. As introduced, SB 1149 limits the fee that a planned community and condominium association can charge a unit owner for the preparation of required documents associated with the resale of a unit.

During committee, two amendments prepared by the Arizona Association of REALTORS® and sponsored by Senator Biggs; were offered to the underlying bill. The first amendment limits the fee that a planned community and condominium association can charge a unit owner for the preparation of required documents associated with the resale of a unit to ten cents per page, as well as establishes that no fee shall be charged for documents that are transmitted electronically.

The second amendment prohibits a condominium or planned community from charging a fee for the use or placement of a for sale sign by a unit owner. Furthermore, the bill states that an association, declarant or property management company that acts in violation of the statute allowing the placement of specified signage is subject to forfeiture of their lien rights for a period of six consecutive months.

Under current law, the association is permitted to charge a fee for these documents as long as the fee is “reasonable.” As stated by Senator Biggs, “the problem is the fee is not very reasonable anymore. The reason the Legislature can get involved is because we’re the ones that said they had to do something, we’re the ones that said they can set the fee and when we trusted them and said a reasonable fee, it turns out it’s not so reasonable.”

Now that the bill has passed through committee, the next step will be to work with the opposing stakeholders to see if a compromise can be reached before the bill heads to the Senate floor. Nicole LaSlavic and Tom Farley will continue to lobby in support of the legislation while the Senate moves the legislation through the process.

The Capitol Insider- Weekly REALTOR (R) Legislative Connection

With Discipline and Perseverance, It's Possible to Become a Homeowner Again.

It won’t be easy to obtain a mortgage after foreclosure. But with enough time, discipline, and desire, you can own your own home again. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Stick with a job after foreclosure.
Did you fall into foreclosure because of the lack of a steady job? If you did, the first step toward homeownership after foreclosure is finding and holding one. And if you already have one--stick with it, unless you can move to a better one. Note that potential lenders will require stable employment before they'll give you a new mortgage loan after a foreclosure. Even if it means taking a lower-paying job, it's worth it.

2. Rebuild your nest egg after foreclosure.
Establish a safety net. Financial planners generally recommend three to six months of living expenses in a liquid account, but since you're coming out of foreclosure, six is a minimum to show stability and that you're able to pay your bills--including your mortgage--for an extended period if you lose your job.

3. Raise your credit score after foreclosure.
This is the hardest and most time-consuming part. After foreclosure, your credit score, according to myFICO, probably dropped by about 150 points. You'll need to raise it back up with perseverance.

Pay bills on time and keep your credit card balances below maximum levels. The foreclosure will stay on your credit report for seven years, but if you prove your money management skills have matured, it will become less of a red mark as years go by. 

Tip: Consult a housing counselor. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offers free housing counseling for distressed homeowners with a foreclosure in their past. A counselor can help you with money management and budgeting. Counseling works--an evaluation of a program in Indianapolis discovered that credit scores greatly improved because of education and counseling, and increased average borrowing power by $4,500 per family.

Read the rest of the steps to owning a home again! Visit Arizona Association of Realtors for the remainder of Barbara Eisner Bayer’s article from  Arizona REALTOR® Magazine – February 2011.

Home prices are one factor in determining your cost of ownership, but so are interest rates and financing availability. Even though interest rates have gone up in the last six months, they are still near historic lows. Since your monthly mortgage payment is a combination of paying down your principal and paying the interest owed, if home prices come down a little further but interest rates up, it could cost you even more to service a mortgage on an identical home!

While a home is a major investment, it is also the center of your personal life. It's important to live in a home that reflects your taste and values, yet is within your financial "comfort zone." To that end, it may be more important to lock in today's relatively low interest rates and low home prices, rather than to hope for a further break in prices in the future.

Please give me a call if I can be of any assistance in determining how much home you can afford in today's market.